Bouchard having best offensive season by Oilers defenceman since Coffey
Edmonton Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard is in rarefied air when it comes to the number of points he is putting up from the blue line.
The 24-year-old has been dynamite for the Oilers, 15 goals and 69 points through 68 games this season. That leads all Edmonton defenders in scoring this season by a healthy margin and is tied for fourth among all NHL defencemen.
NHL.com
Those totals have already shattered Bouchard’s previous career-highs of 12 goals and 43 points set back in his first full season in 2021-22. It’s also the most scored by an Oilers defenceman in a single season by a player not named Paul Coffey.
Right now, Bouchard’s 69 points is the sixth-most in Oilers franchise history, with all five spots ahead of him belonging to Coffey.
NHL.com
It’s an impressive accomplishment for a defenceman in his third full NHL season at 24. If he continues to score at the pace he has for the remaining 14 games of the regular season, his total should grow to around 83 points.
It might be unrealistic to think that Bouchard will ever surpass Coffey’s record of 138 points in a single season, but this shouldn’t be swept aside. Bouchard has beaten many very good defencemen, including Chris Pronger, Risto Siltanen, and Steve Smith.
This offence has translated into some favourable defensive results for Bouchard as well. According to Natural Stat Trick, he is second among Oilers defencemen in goals-for percentage at five-on-five, being on the ice for 77 goals for and 50 goals against. The only defenceman with a better ratio is his partner Mattias Ekholm.
He also drives scoring chances for the Oilers this season with a team-leading 60.33 chances-for percentage.
There are still some hiccups in his game from time to time, which should be expected of a younger defenceman, but he has been exceptional with the Oilers this season and is a big reason why they were able to rebound from a terrible start to the season.
If he can do all this at 24, the future is bright for the Oilers’ blueline.
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